1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a standardized method of testing and classifying undergarment control. More particularly, the present invention relates to a standardized method of testing undergarment control using a clamp mechanism in a commercially available machine and a resultant standardized classification of undergarment control.
2. Description of the Related Art
Undergarments, specifically women's panties, are advertised with respect to the level of support they provide to the wearer. The three general classifications used to describe the level of support for women's panties are light, moderate and firm support. Women purchase these garments with the belief that the product will perform in accordance with its advertised level of support. Underlying their decision to purchase a panty of a particular support level is the belief that the panty has been tested to perform as advertised. However, there does not exist a standard method to test the level of support that women's undergarments, specifically panties, provide to the wearer. Thus, there does not exist a standard classification system of undergarment control.
Undergarment manufacturers may test the level of support of the component materials that are assembled to make the garments. However, these materials are tested only before the materials are assembled and sewn together as a completed garment, such as a panty. There is no further machine testing to determine the level of support that the finished garment provides.
Currently, women's undergarment manufacturers test the support of panties by using an empirical method. Testers put their two fists in the hole openings for the legs and move their arms apart. Based on the level of resistance to stretching that the tester senses, the panty is classified as a light, moderate or firm support garment. This sort of empirical testing method is not scientific, consistent or repeatable. The tester may place his/her fists at different locations inside different panties during successive tests. The tester may also use different forces to separate his/her arms while testing the same panty or different panties. Further, the tester may not use a constant rate of expansion as his/her arms open with the same panty or with different panties. Also, the tester may fatigue during the testing of a number of panties and thereby improperly report a higher level of resistance than he/she would have reported during earlier testing of the same panty or of different panties. These variables prevent accurate standardized measurement and classification of the support levels of panties. Essentially, the human element in the test makes the current test method unreliable.
A need therefore exists for a standardized testing method to accurately determine the level of support of panties and a standardized classification system for the level of support provided in such panties.